1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to camera phones, and more particularly to camera phone services.
2. Description of Related Art
Camera phones have become a popular alternative to traditional wireless communication devices, in part, because camera phones include both (i) cellular wireless communication functionality, and (ii) digital camera functionality that facilitates the capture of digital images, whereas traditional wireless communication devices include cellular wireless communication functionality, but do not include digital camera functionality.
In most cases, the cellular wireless communication functionality provides for wireless packet data communication (e.g., Third Generation Mobile System (3G) communication), so that the camera phone can engage in IP communication with network servers and other devices via a cellular carrier's radio access network (RAN). More particularly, the wireless communication functionality provides for establishing a radio link with the RAN and a data link (e.g., point to point protocol (PPP) link) with a gateway such as a packet data serving node (PDSN). Through those links, a camera phone sends and receives packet data over a packet-switched network such as the carrier's core packet network and/or the Internet. The packet data may comprise a digital image captured using the digital camera functionality.
As the popularity of camera phones has increased, service providers (e.g., providers of services to camera phone users) have introduced new services that may increase a person's desire to own and use a camera phone. For example, service providers may provide camera phone users with a personal account, accessible over the Internet, for uploading digital images and for organizing and securing digital images in a digital photo album. As another example, service providers may improve the look of digital images stored in a digital photo album by improving the color, contrast, and brightness of the digital images or by performing red-eye reduction on the digital images.
Service providers may employ a network infrastructure to provide their services. A typical network infrastructure may include a wireless network, a wired network, and/or a server coupled to the wired network. Service providers may own the network infrastructure, own a portion of the network infrastructure, and/or enter into an agreement whereby the service providers pay an owner of the network infrastructure for the right to use the network infrastructure.
Service providers incur an expense (hereinafter an “infrastructure expense”) by employing a network infrastructure to provide their services. Service providers may have various arrangements for recovering their infrastructure expense and for making a profit as well. For example, services providers may recover their infrastructure expense and make a profit by charging camera phone users a fee each time the camera phone users use the network infrastructure for performance of a service. With such an arrangement, service providers may recover their infrastructure expense and maximize their profits if camera phone users maximize their use of the network infrastructure. Thus, a mechanism for motivating camera phone users to use camera phone functions that lead to use of a network infrastructure is desired.